The era of terror: the story of the Hungarian orange
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There were several weird time periods in Hungarian history. However, none of them was as weird and brutal as the short reign of Mátyás Rákosi. The economic policy of the general secretary was, to say the least, peculiar. During the rule of the Stalinist regime, many perished, but not only because of the political purges. After the second world war, Hungary had to endure the amok of the great leader.
The Rákosi era has been defined between different periods. In narrow terms, it lasted from 1948 to 1953, but in wider terms, it lasted from 1945 to 1956. Either way, the few years under the regime are remembered as a time of terror. This was the time when the country became a police state, where disappearances were widespread. Internment camps were established where political prisoners were taken for forced labour. Among these, the most famous is probably Recsk. But torture, imprisonment and terror were rampant in the country. Still many terms from this era live with us to this day.
The country of steel and iron
Rákosi cannot be described as the brightest even among dictators. The original plan was to make Hungary the country of iron and steel. There was a slight problem with this. Hungary had no iron ore nor coal, just the two ingredients required for the production of the desired materials. After the treaty of Trianon, Hungary had to switch to light industry and agriculture because of the lack of resources. It was very profitable but for Rákosi, heavy and military industry seemed to be more important. This was such a ludicrous idea that even one of the leading Soviet politicians, Anastas Mikojan made remarks on the inefficiency of this economic policy.
Hungarian orange
HVG.hu made a summary of the time when Hungarian agriculture became the focal point of the economy. Rákosi must have realised that heavy industry might not be the most suitable for the country, so he started thinking about the crops that could be planted. The 50s brought a rapid rise in agricultural production, but without much yield. Agriculture only works if you use crops that are suitable for the climate. Now citrus, banana, rice, cotton and several other extraneous products are not the best choices in Hungary.
